Bronzing machine



A ril 23, 1935. .JjF SHEPPARD El AL BRONZING MACHINE 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed June 3 INVENTORS.

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April 23, 1935.

J. F. SHEPPARD ET AL BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1930' 7 Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTORS- M yam.

ATTORNEYS.

M 9 zum p 23, 4 J. F. SHEPPARD El AL 1,998,466

BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 l ll INVENTORS. P?g djmm M M 8 W ATTORNEYS.

April 1935- .J. F. SHEPPARD Er AL 1,998,466

BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS.

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April 1935- J. F. SHEPPARD El AL 1,998,466

BRONZ ING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1950 '7 She ets-Sheet 5 A TTORNEYS.

April 1935. J. F. SHEPPARD ET AL 1,998,466

BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 YINVENTORS. M,Mm

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ATTORNEYS.

April 1935- J. F. SHEPPARD AL 1,998,466

BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 FigJa.

77 9 W PI 88 120/ 5 I [51 El] 1 IN VEN TORS By kww.

L g! M ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT. orncs BRONZIING MACHINE Joel F. Sheppard, Frank(3. Stevens, and Carl G.

Lindbom, Dover, N. IL, assignors to U. P. M.-

Kidder Press (30., Inc.,

tion of Delaware Dover, N. H., a corpora- Application June 3, 1930,Serial No. 459,032

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a functionally and structurally improved applmay beused in numerous ying machine which different associations butwhich is particularly adapted for the application ofsubstances such aspowders and especially metallic powders to the faces of sheets.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine of thischaracter,

the parts of which will be relatively few in number and individuallysimple and rugged in construction, these parts being capable of readyassemblage, and when so assembled, furnishing a machine operating overlong periods of time with fr ical difficulties and with a attendance.

A further object of the eedom from mechan minimum of manual invention isthat of furnishing a machine in which the work will be almost uniformlyperfect and in which the sheets, after delivery from free from smudging.

the machine, will be A further object is that of constructing a machinecapable of handling of sheets within a predetermined interval of time amaximum number and in which the feeding of the sheets from the press orcorresponding unit will be automatic and in which, moreover, thedelivery of these which the atmosphere adjacent to the machine will notbe filled with powder particles.

An additional object is that of providing a novel feeding and/ordelivery mechanism which,

while preferably utilized in body of the machine, may be employed inde--conjunction with the pendently of the latter, it being of course obviousthat the machine mechanism per se may likewise,

within the province of the present invention, be

:employed independently of the feeding and/or delivery mechanism.

With these and further objects in mind, reference is had to the attache(1 sheets of drawings illustrating one practical embodiment of theinvention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine with the driving mechanismeliminated therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the various drive.

mechanisms shown;

Fig. 3 is a View taken fr from that shown in Fig. 2;

0m the opposite side Fig. 4 is a transverse section through one of theconveyor rolls;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary p of the conveyor;

lan view of a portion Fig. 6 is a sectional side view of the conveyor;

Fig-7 is an enlarged partly sectional view showing one form of mechanismby means of which reciprocation of the burnishin'g rolls may beeffected;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of the forward portion of the machineand showing the foundation or depositing station, the stop fingers'andthe sheet feeding mechanism;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional side view of the burnishingstation; i

Fig. 10 is a similar view of the cleaning station or section of themachine;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the belt adjacent thepoint at which the sheets are delivered therefrom to the pile deliverymechanism;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary enlarged view taken transversely of the machineand showing one of the cleaning rolls which cooperate with the upperfaces of the sheets, and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the entire machine.

By means of the present invention, a machine is provided which iscapable of use in numerous different associations. Primarily, andaccording to the preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention,the machine is to be employed for the application of substances to sheetmaterial. A machine of the character is ordinarily known to thoseskilled in the art as a bronzer. As such, the substances usually takethe form of a powder simulating 'in'appearance gold, silver, etc., andthe material, to predetermined areas of which'the powder is-applied, isusually paper or cardboard of desirable thicknesses. 'It will readily beunderstood,-however, that the substances to be applied and the materialwhich receives them, might be varied in many respects without materialalterations to the machine and, moreover, that the machine might haveits several parts modified and rearranged in numerous respects from thedisclosure herein illustrated.

Thus, in the several views; the numeral 25 indicates the base or frameof the machine which has one of its ends positioned adjacent to adelivery mechanism, and by means of which the material is'fed to themachine. This delivery mechanism in turn extends from a press or otherunit (not shown) in which the material and specifically the .sheets haveportions of their faces coated with a sizing. laid out according to thedesign .which'is to appear upon the face of the sheet after passingthrough the machine. The structure of the press or other unit by meansof which :the. adhesive is applied to the face of the sheets or theirequivalents might be designed ac cording to the especial needs of thearticles which are to be coated and in order to assure a maximum numberof sheets with their upper faces properly sized or otherwise treated toreceive and retain the material applied thereto by a machine embodyingthe features of the present invention.

Referring to the machine, the latter embraces four major sections. Inthe first of these, the sheets of material are fed to the machine. Thesesheets in the second section receive the substances, i. e. powder or itsequivalent, which'is to be applied to the sized areas of their faces. Inthe third section, this substanceis coated on the sheets and the latterare cleaned, and in the fourth and final section, the sheets aredelivered.

For the sake of convenience, the second section will primarily bereferred to. for example, a hopper 2! within which a roller 22 extends.This roller may be covered with a deep pile plush belt anda blade 23 maycooperate with the surface of the roller in order first to limit theamount of powder or othersubstance removed'therebyfrom the hopper and,secondly to cause the tufts or hairs of the plush to snap out: wardlyand downwardly, thus impelling the powder towardsthe upperfaceof thesheetunderlying this roller.

The sheets of material .are moved past .the depositing station, thusprovided, ;by means of ,a conveyor which in certain respects also formsa part of station or section two hereinbefore referred to. Thisconveyor, however, additionally serves to movethe sheets tosuccessfullytraverse sections three of the machine and be fed to a point at whichthey,pass throughthc mechanism comprising section or station four of themachine.

As will be seen referring particularly .to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, thisconveyor preferably embraces a multi-ply belt 24 formed preferably oflayers of cloth and rubber and prouidedadjacent its side edgeswithsprocket openings 25. The latter may be reenforced as,-for example,by strips of metal 26,,one ply of the belt being preferably removed atthese points so that the strips lie flush with the belt face. The belt,moreover, is formed with rows of openings, these rows in the presentexemplification being three in number. Associated with the belt adjacentthese openings are grippers, each of which, according to the presentinvention, preferably include a spring strip 28 and a rigid member 21secured together as, for example, at 29. The first of these strips hasits outerend extending at right angles to its body and lying in contactwith the edgeof one of the openings 38. This strip together with thestrip carried .thereby is retained in such position as, for example, bya clamping screw 3 I. The second strip 28 is bowed downwardly andupwardly and terminates in a right angular extension 32 lying at a pointbeyond the rear edge of the opening 39 and overlying the belt. Thisstrip also carries an ejecting or expelling element 33, known to thoseskilled in the art as a shoo fiy. This element lies in line with anextension 34 of the slot and normally occupies a position below theplane into which the outer face of the belt extends. It is obvious bythis construction that an operator may apply .these gripper elements orfingers to the belt, and after the latter is mounted, as hereinafterexplained. More particularly, it would be clear in this connection thatthe strips 2! and 29 maybe brought to positions immediately adjacenteach other and inserted one through each of theopenings 30 so that theylie This :may include,

as shown in Fig. 6. Thereupon, by simply retaining the parts againstdisplacement with one hand and applying the retaining screw 3! with theother hand, an operator is assured that the gripper is firmly anchoredand properly disposed relatively to the belt and the mechanismassociated therewith. These grippers, as will be hereinafter explained,serve, when elevated from the surface of the belt, to accommodate theleading edge of a sheet 35, this being one of the sheets to which thepowder, or its equivalent, is to be applied. Thereafter, if the grippersare released,

the portions 32 thereof as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 bear intimatelyagainst the sheet adjacent its forward edge, and prevent movement of thesame with respect to the belt body.

Mounted adjacent opposite ends of the main body of the frame 20 areshafts 3B and 31, the former being driven as, for example, by a sprocket38 and chain 39, and the latter being in turn driven conveniently by asprocket 40 which is secured to a stub shaft carrying a bevel gearmeshing with a corresponding gear 4| secured to a shaft 42 rotatablymounted on the side of the frame. 'Ihis shaft 42 by means of a chain andsprockets .43 is'driven .by a shaft 44, hereinafter referredto ingreater detail.

With one exception hereinafter noted, the shafts 36 and 31 mount similarelements. Referring to Fig. 4 where shaft 36 has been illustrated, itwill be observed that the latter is mounted by bearings 45 and fixedlycarries sprockets 43 having flange portions 41 serving as supports forthe underside of the belt, it being noted that the teeth of thesesprockets extend through the openings 25 to move with the belt.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft and in fact, if desired, suporteduponanti-friction bearings carriedtherebyare a series of ring shapedsupports 43 which according to the preferred embodiment are similar instructure to grooved pulleys that they present flange portions 49 and 50adjacent their side edges. The flange '53 of each pulleylike support isof less diameter than the fiange 49 thereof, and the supports aredisposed along the shaftpreferably so that the flange 59 of one supportis adjacentthe flange 39 of an adjacent support, and the flange 59 ofthe latter is in turn disposed nearest to the flange 49 of the nextsupporting member. The difference in diameter be tween the flanges'495il is minute. For example, the flanges 49 in one operative form ofthe device may have a diameter of 8.675, while the flanges may have adiameter of 8.633". This difference, while minute, neverthelessfurnishes in aggregate a roller which, in effect, has a series ofcrowned portions. The supporting members 48 are spaced from each otherby means of washers 5| which may be fixed to the shaft 35 as, forexample, by set screws, and thus a proper spacing of the belt supportingmembers is assured, it being noted that the depth of the grooves 52 ofthe corresponding members associated with the shaft 31, and that thegrippers associated with the belt ride within these grooves when passingaround the shafts. 363l.

Heretofore when an attempt has been made to have a belt of for examplesix foot Width run straight, great difficulty has been experienced. Abelt of this width is necessary in .order that sheets of material 35 ofcorrespondingly large areas might be accommodated. It has been entirelyfeasible to maintain the path of travel of a narrow belt anddifiiculties incident to the belt tending to move off to one side inthecase of a wide belt could be overcome by crowning-the However, 1

drums or rollers supporting the same. such a construction results in thebelt crowning and aside from the fact that difficulty would accordinglybe experienced in having the grippers cooperate with a straight edgesheet, thernechatornto pieces" due to the strains imposed'there-' on.However, by means of the construction described in the precedingparagraph, a crowning; effect is achieved without the outer-"surfacesof;

blades 65 serving toremove'the'surplus powder,

the latter being diverted into the air current and the belt occupying a'positionother than that of a substantially true plane.

perienced in connection with the grippers cooperating with the sheet.Alsoby having the several supporting members preferably free to movewithrespect to the shaft, there is no drive of the belt except atportions adjacent the'edgesof the latter, and only there-when-it ridesover the power shaft, i. e.,-in the present embodiment the shaft Underthese circumstances, it has been found that the belt runs entirely'true. *In fact, even if outside pressure is exerted in an endeavor tocause the belt to travel as a tangent, such tendency will becounteracted to the greatest extent by the construction disclosed.

In order to support the upper run of the belt in its travel through'themachine, a series of Now, after the sheets have been moved by the beltunder the roller 22 which forms 'what might be termed the fountain, theymove into the coating compartment. 'Th is compartment, accord ing to thepresent invention, preferably encloses a series of rolls 55, which aredriven as shownin Fig. 2 preferably by means of asprocketchain 55%extending from the shaft' 42 and by means of intermediate coupling gears 51. 'Ih eserolls serve to rub in the powder, or its equivalent, andburnish the coated surfaces- Their drive is opposed to the direction oftravel of the sheets and they are covered preferably with wool skin or'asimilar substance. Thus, theyefiecta wiping contact with the coatedsurfaces serving to inibed the powder particlesiintothe surface of thesizing upon the sheets. To the rearof the last roll 55 a partitionmember 59 isprovided extending to a point immediately above the surfaceof the sheet or in contact with the surface of the'last roll, thusforming in effect a seal at the end" of what might be termed thebronzing or powdering compart ment. In view of the fact that noexhausting means is preferably provided in association with thiscompartment, the interior of .the same is at all times filled witha-cloud of powderwhich serves first, in cooperation with the rolls, toeffect the perfect coating of the sheets, and secondly to economize to amaximum extent withv regard to.v

the powder, in that the body of the latter will be in effect removedfrom the surface ofthe sheet and retained'- within this "compartment,and the 7 Accordingly, the sheets are not distorted nor is anydifficulty ex'-' belt to the cleaning compartment.

at this time, it will, of course, beunderstood that thespace between thesides of the frame 29 and'above the rolls is closed by a covering plate,and referring to the cleaning compartment, it will be-noted that itencloses a series of rolls 8% mov" ing preferably in opposition to' thesheet and driven-bygears 6| I through'a chain 62 extending from thedrive or a motor 63. Extending'in-line with the spaces between the rolls60 are openings Gtto which the ends of an'exhaustmanifold are connected.At points opposite to the-openings 64 further openings 64 are providedwhich preferably are connected with the outer atmosphere so that as air'is idrawn throughthe compartment," transverse air flows will beestablished. Cooper ating with the surface of eachoftherolls are beingsucked out through theexhaust openings.

Each of therolls is preferably-of a' composite nature and includes ashaft 66 upon which are mounted a series of cotton or similar disks" 6'5spaced'from each other bywashers 68 of a diameter less than that ofthe'disks. As a consequence, the latter, tendto" mushroom atipoint's.beyond the disks, and thus a surface is presented No dam age will resultto the sheets asa consequence,

which is of a soft and fibrous" nature.

although a maximum cleaning action will be exerted thereon. Thesesheetswiththeir upper faces properly coated and cleaned now move to a pointbeyond the shaft 36 and out of contact with theconveyor. Y

Thus, referring'to the will be obvious that a sheet-associated with theconveyor moves under the roller v22, or its equivalent, by means ofwhich powder'on similar material isdeposited upon the face of the sheet:In'

theevent that, as shown, aroller is employed, it

is in many respects desirable to havethe samemove intermittently. Withthis in mind and asshown in Fig. 3, a shaft 69 is secured to the frameof themachine' and mounts a'cam 10, this shaft being driven as, forexample, by a sprocket chain mechanism 11 to which itzis connected.Accord-.

ing to the position of theblock I and the guide- Ways 14, such shiftingwill be to a greater or to a less extent. Consequently, the volume ofpowder or equivalent material delivered tothe sheet will.

be varied.

In addition to the rotary movement and gear wheels associatedtherewith,it is de sired inorder that a maximum effect be achieved;

that these rolls be given a motion. transverse to theconveyor. With'thisin mind, one form. of mechanism Whichmay'be provided is that shown inFig. '7. In this figure, it .will be observed that that-end of the shaftopposite to the end which receives the drive 56 isextended beyond theframe of. the machine and atthis point mounts a worm sheet-now 'moves-under the influence of the fountain, depositing and cleaning'sectionsor stations of the machine, it

imparted to. the burnishing rolls 55 by means of the sprocket I8confined within-a journal 19 having irotative bearing with the shaft.worm drives .a worm wheel having one end of a gpitman 13' eccentricallyconnected to its body, the opp site end of this pitman being pivotallyconnected to a bracket 82 aflixedto theframe ,of :the-machine. on eq y,as he r l s arezdriv n. tor ate, the wormzwill cause.;the gear.or-wheel80 to be rotated. Obviously, this will cause the bracket 19together-withthe end of the shaft to be reciproated thus a h vin the[desired result .It will be apparentthat in order to allow of thistransfer vementthe gears..andlorisprocketsas oe ated with the rolls '55for the purpose of turning the same are ,slidably ikeyed thereon. {Iihesheet now moves through ,the cleaning department and subsequently isdischarged from fthesurface of the belt ',01.C OI1V ey.01'.

:Provision;must now be ,made for cleaning the under side of :the :sheets.as they are ,delivered and with this in mind, an exhaust duct-ornozzle83 is provided to the rear of the shaft 35 and in line with theipath oftravel of the sheets. This nozzle cooperates withthepunderface ofthesheets and with a view'not alone to dislodging particles of powder orother-substance from'the lower faces of thesesheets butalso topreventithe latter from freezing against theqnozzle, a spacer brushalI-is provided extending in advance of the nozzle and slightly abovethe upper surface of the latter. Thus these sheets, in advance .ofpassing :the nozzle station, ride into contact alongttheinunder faceswith the brush .83, and in order that the.

cleaning operation-may ;b e complete, there is provided preferablyimmediately to the rear of ;this cleaning nozzle abrush :85 ,-rotatingin a direction opposed "to the direction of travel of the sheets. Thus,all particles of foreign ;material, such :as powderwhich is adhering tothe tunderface of the sheet and have not been .removed :by either thebrush .84 -,or the nozzle :83, will be freed -by the brush -85 andimpelled .by the latter towardsthe nozzle so that this elementmay'pick'upathetpowder while in suspension. Consequently, the

powder willgnot :be projected into the atmospherewithconsequentdanger1to.health and wastage of material and theunderfaces of the sheets :will be effectively cleaned.

A manifold 0'! is connected togthe openings 64 and "to a suitablesourceof vacuum -i(.not shown) The manifold also has its end extended as:at:00and this end is connected to the nozzlec83; varia-.- tions in thedegreeofssuction atz-this .pointbeing obtained as, for-example, bythe useof avalve 508. The manifold .mayzbe provided with an outlet'90 through whichpowder removed by means of the same may be salvaged. The source ofvacuum supply is connectedto'this manifold preferably;at 90, and it willbeunderstood thatsuitable filters and .traps may be provided forzthesalvaging :of powder flowing therethrough.

:Now'referring-to the delivery station of'the :machine, it will beunderstood that the sheets vof material might be permitted to simplydrop into a receiving compartment as they move out of supporting contactwith the conveyor, or *they might-be delivered to ily sticks. It ispreferred, however, according 'to the present invention to have thesesheets delivered so thatthey are arranged in acompact pileandalso'insuch-manner that there is no danger of thesheets being'injured or thecoated surfaces being smudged. With this in mind, a lowering piledelivery .is provided at the :rearend of the :machine by .the useof asupporti'ngmember 92 .suspended from chains-101* cables ,9 3 whichniay-be maintained in properly taut condition by, for example,counterweights 04, a suitable mechanism includingpulleysBS-beingprovidedzfor lowering-the support. These pulleys areactuated by an intermittent mechanism 96-driven by a-shaft 91. Thisshaft is rotated continuously by means-oi gearing and a sprocket chaindrive 99 extending from shaft 36. Thus as the shaft 91 rotates, thesupport will be lowered in order to accomodate an increasing :depth ofsheets-delivered by the conveyor overlying this support. This conveyorincludespreferably a pair of chains I00 connected by cross ,bars MI andpassing over sprockets I02. Thecross bars support gripper bars and padsI03 which are actuated by trips (not shown) to engage and release thesheet. The chains are drivenfor example by;the outermost sprocket I02being-coupled by gearing I04 to the shaft 91, and thus a conveyorisprovided which moves at a speed identical with the speed of movement ofthe conveyor provided by the belt 24.

Adjacent the receiving'end of the machine, the grooves. of the pulleymembers providing the supports-4,0 are, vas aforestated, suflicientlyshallow to cause the extended portions 28 of the gripper Strips tobeelevated to an extent sufiicient to permit of the insertionthereunderof a leading edge of .asheet of .materialin a manner hereinafter broughtout. grooves ,of the pulley members associated with the shaft are.notasdeep as the grooves of the supporting members aforementioned.Consequently, the gripper fingers will not alone be elevated to anextent sufiicient to release the sheet,

but .the shoo ,fiies-or expelling members 33 will move through the slots34 todeliberately elevate the leading edge of the sheet as has beenindicated in Fig, 6. Obviously, the raising of the pper fin ers willbemaintained until that portion of .the conveyor with which they areassociated passes around the roller structure mounted by the shaft 35.In other words, the elevation will lie-[continued long after the gripperfingers have-moved-out of contact with the sheet. When the parts havereached the :position indicated in dotted lines .in Fig. 6, it will beapparent that the gripperv elements I03 associated .with the conveyorI00 are moving at a point immediately adjacent the leading edge of thesheet-the parts being timed to effect this result. Now, in order thatthe leading edgemay be securely engaged by thegripper elements I03, anumber of suitable structures may be developed. For example, a cam I05is operated by a sprocket drive 100 from the shaft 3,6.and serves toperiodically rock a bell-crank lever I01 carrying a roller I08. Thelatter bears againstthe chain 99 and thus periodically tensions thelatter resulting in a retardation-.onthepart ofith'e shaft 91, andconsequently, the conveyeor I00 and the gripper elements 03 carriedthereby. .As a consequence, the leading edge of the sheet is adequatelyprojected within the space defined within thee ipper elements I03 as thelatter are tripped, thus assuring a firm contact and adequate supportingof the sheet as it moves from the belt conveyor. As the rear edge of thesheet moves beyond the brush 85, a trip (not shown) releases the gripperelements I03, and the sheet now floats gently down to rest upon theuppermost sheet of the pile dis- Also, asaforebrought out, the

served that a conveyor I09 extends to the forward portion of the machineproper. This conveyor may include a series of spaced tapes and extendfrom the delivery end of the press or coating unit, and receive at thispoint the sheets upon its upper run. The shaft 69 mounts, as shown inFig. 8, a number of cams I 10 additional to that whichcauses movement ofthe roller 22. Stop fingers ill extend between the tapes pro- Viding theconveyor and may be elevated through the medium of operating mechanismlll actuated by one of the cams H0. Such operation causes the fingers toperiodically elevate so that sheets retained against movement by thesefingers may continue to be fed towards the machine proper. At this time,it will be understood that while in many respects, it is preferred thatthe fingers extend into, or in fact, below the upper plane of theconveyor I09, that the structure of the latter might be of any desiredtype, and accordingly that the fingersor their equivalents might bemodified so as to perform the function for which they are intended. Theframe supports or provides track portions H3 within which a carriage H6is movable. This carriage mounts, in the present exemplification,suction nozzles H5, andthe latter may be projected to engage the underface of the sheet by an actuating mechanism H6, while the entirecarriage may be reciprocated by a second and similar mechanism i ll.Both of these mechanisms are operated-by-cams l I B and the timing issuch that the cycle of movement of the nozzles is upwardly and intocontact with the under faces of the sheets, thence towards the machineproper, then downwardly out of contact with the sheets, whereupon thecarriage is returned to the initial position, i. e.-, away from themachine. It will be notedthat the motor 63 drives an exhaust fan 86which is connected by tube H8 to the nozzles I Hi. This tube isconnected with a valve 1 l8 connected through a lever I20}, by means ofone of the cams llu and the valve serves periodically and with propertiming to cause an air flow through the nozzle H5 towards the fan orpump 86, and also to connect the nozzles with the atmosphere so that thesheets gripped by these elements will release readily. Between certainof the tapes providing the conveyor I69 slowdowned sticks I25 arepositioned and these elements serve to frictionally engage theunderfaces of the sheets as they move towards the stop fingers III toretard the movement of the former. In certain instances, it has beenfound that difficulty may be experienced incident to the tendency of theadvance edges of the sheet to curl upwardly. More particularly, thiseffect would ordinarily result in the sheets being improperly engaged bythe gripping fingers, or elements 32. In order to overcome thisdifliculty, an operating mechanism I2| is provided in association withone of the cams H0 and serves to actuate a series of top rods I22 whichextend over the sheets and between the stop fingers H I. The mechanism12! serves to depress the forward edges of the sheets into propercontact with the conveyor until the gripping fingers of the latterfirmly engage the same, at which point this mechanism elevates the rodsso that there is no danger of the sizing on the upper faces of thesheets being disarranged.

Referring to the operation of this mechanism, it will be understood thatthe sheets are successively delivered from the press, or its equivalent,and move at a high rate of speed by means of the conveyor I09. Thesesheets, upon coming in contact with the slowdowned sticks arefrictionally engaged by the latter and a braking effect results whichcauses their rate of travel to be materially decelerated so that thereis no danger of the forward edges of the sheet striking the stop fingersIII, or their equivalent, and rebounding to an extent such that afailure of feeding would result. The parts arearranged so that as thesheet is brought to a stop-with the conveyor I09 continuing to movethenozzles H5 are elevated into contact and gripping engagement with thesheet. The fingers HI now elevate and under the action of the nozzles,the sheet moves forward at an accelerated rate of speed and is tuckedunderneath the portions 32 of the gripping fingers. The latter, ofcourse, are elevated, and the feed of the sheet is such that the forwardedge of the latter remains in place until the portions 32 clamp againstthe sheet to prevent movement of the same with respect to the conveyor24. Thereupon, the suction nozzle disengages from the under'face of-thesheet. It will of course be understood that as the suction nozzles feedthe sheets the topping rods engage the forward edges of the sameasaforebrought out, thus assuring the proper association of the sheetswith the gripper fingersof the conveyor. r I

Reviewing briefly the operation of the machine, it will be apparent thatthe following occurs:

The sheets move from the press, or its equivalent, and are delivered tothe conveyor 24 in a manner such as has been described in the precedingparagraph; Immediately upon entering the machine proper, powder isdeposited thereon.

The rate of feed of this powder is controlled by the setting of the,operating mechanism which actuates the pawl and. ratchet 11, and thiscontrol may-also be. varied by the blade 23. The sheets now move to thepowder compartment where they are subjected to the action of the wipingand burnishingrolls 55. In this compartment, due to thefact that noexhaust is provided, the sheets are subjected to the action of virtuallya cloud of powder and they then move to the cleaning station where, bymeans of the rolls 60, all surplus powder isremoved from their upperfaces. At this point, by means of the exhaust provided, all powder notremaining in contact with the upper faces of the sheets is removed andthe cleaned sheets now move past the brush 84, nozzle 83 and brush 85,so that their under faces are cleaned. Thereupon, they are delivered tothe pile on thesupportSZ. It will finally be'observed that a cleaningbrush or its equivalent l 23 may cooperate with the lower run of theconveyor 24 in order that the latter may present a clean surface toreceive the successive sheets.

Thus a machine of this character is provided and by means of which astraight line feed may be furnished from the press to the delivery pile.Moreover, the sheets do not have to traverse any acute bends and thusthere will be no danger of the sheets being cracked or the finishapplied thereto by the machine being faulty. As a consequence of thesheets not traversing acute bends, it will also be understood thatmaterial of thicker and more brittle qualities may be passed through themachine without detriment. Additionally, no transfer cylinders arenecessary in the present machine and as a consequence, a marring of thework incident to an offsetting action is avoided aside from the factthat it is accordingly not necessary to shut down and clean the machine.Moreover, by having the cleaning rolls.

or their equivalent, isolated from the burnishing or rubbing-in rolls,it is practicable to economize on powder aside from the fact that thework has a better finish and all surplus powder is removed therefrom.

Finally, the value of driving the mechanism in the manner aforedescribedwill be apparent to those skilled in the art. More particularly, it willbe appreciated that the shaft 44 extends iromthe press, or equivalentunit, and as a-con sequence, the parts of the machine are'in perfecttiming with those of the press. -All of the associated feeding andburnishing mechanism is connected by drives either directly orindirectly to the shaft 42, and thus timing throughout the machineproper will remain as originally set. By having the motor 63, as shown,preferably independent of the former drives, it will be obvious thateven if the feeding of the sheets through the machine is stopped withconsequent stoppage of the deposition of powder, that the cleaningmechanisms. will continueto operate so that all objections in thisconnection willbe avoided.

It will of course be understood that the machine may be utilized toadvantage in numerous different associations. For example, itimay beemployed in a dusting operation, i. e., presuming'that very fine workis-to be done, the sheets after being discharged to the pile deliverywill simply be removed therefrom andpassed through a second machine of,for example, the type herein illustrated, but in which no powder or itsequivalent will be deposited; This operation will serve effectivelytoremove all traces of powder even if the surfaces of the sheets are ofsuch character that powder particles tend to adhere to them.

From the foregoing, it willbe appreciated that, among others, theobject's specifically aforebrought out are achieved. It will moreover beappreciated that numerouschange's inconstruotion and rearrangement of"the mechanisms might be resorted towithout in the slightest departingfrom thespirit of the invention'as defined by the claims;

Having described our invention,- what we claim as new and desire tosecure byLetters Patent, is:

l. A machine of the character described, comprising a materialdepositing compartment, a substantially sealed agitating compartment, amaterial removing compartment, means for supplying material to saidfirst named compartment, means for exhausting thematerial from the lastcompartment, each of said foregoing compartments being disposed in aseries of stations in a horizontal plane of travel, and means for movinga sheet successively through all of said compartments, said last namedmeans comprising an endless belt and a series of multi-crown rollerscooperating therewith.

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a materialdepositing compartment, a substantially sealed agitating compartment, amaterial removing compartment, means for supplying material to saidfirst named compartment, means for exhausting the material from the lastcompartment, each of said foregoing compartments being disposed in aseries of stations in a horizontal plane of travel, a plurality ofrollers positioned adjacent said compartments, said rollers comprising aseries of wheel segments of varying diameters disposed alternately withrelation to each other so that the roller presents a number of crownportions along its periphery, and a traveler belt cooperating with saidrollers whereby a sheet may be carried successively through all of saidcompartments and acted on thereby.

3. A machine of'the character described, comprising a materialdepositing compartment, a substantially sealed agitating compartment, amaterial removing compartment, means for supplying material to saidfirst named compartment, means for exhausting the material from the lastcompartment, each of said foregoing compartments being disposed in aseries ofstations in a horizontal plane of travel, a plurality ofrollers positioned adjacent said compartments, said roll ers comprisinga series of wheel segments of varying diameters disposed alternatelywith relation to each other so that the roller presents a number ofcrown portions along its periphery, a traveler belt cooperating withsaid rollers whereby a sheet may be carried successively through all ofsaid compartments and acted on thereby, means associated with saidtraveler belt for normally holding said sheet in position thereon,additional means carried by said rollers and cooperating with said firstnamed means for releasing said sheet when the latter has passed throughthe last of said compartments, and further means carried by said firstnamed means for simultaneously lifting said sheet above the surface ofsaid traveler belt.

JOEL F. SHEPPARD. FRANK C. STEVENS. CARL G. LINDBOM.

